The Road to New Love (A Prequel)
by HPDrummerman
Summary: Taking place before the events of "It's New Love, Charlie Brown", we go back a few months and see how the little red-haired girl's moving affects Charlie Brown, and when Peppermint Patty and Marcie met Franco and Hans in Germany. We also see the moment of truth when Frieda pins her Valentine to Charlie Brown's locker at school.
1. Author's Note

The Road to New Love (A Prequel)

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_

 _I decided to do a small story about what led to the events in "It's New Love, Charlie Brown" before getting to work on the next season of_ PEANUTS: The Next Chapter _. In this story I will cover what led to the little red-haired girl moving away and Peppermint Patty and Marcie going to Germany on Foreign Exchange. There will also be cameos from Margaux Holt, aka Python before she was a member of the Serpent Sisters. You will also see what happened at school on that Valentine's Day when Charlie Brown stayed home. Before we go forward with Season 2 of_ The Next Chapter _, we will go back to the beginning for a little bit._

 **UP NEXT, OUR STORY BEGINS…**


	2. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER 1: GOODBYES AND HELLOS**

 _ **One Month Earlier**_

 _Linus was running up towards Charlie Brown's house. He seemed frantic about something. First he stopped at Snoopy's doghouse._

 _"Snoopy," he began, "do you know if your owner is home?"_

 _Snoopy just looked up briefly and then laid back down on top of his house. Linus figured he wouldn't get anywhere with Snoopy, so he went to the front door and rang the doorbell. Unfortunately for Linus, Sally was the one who opened it._

 _"Sally, this is important," he started._

 _"Hi Linus," Sally chirped. "Has my Sweet Babboo come over to take me to the movies?"_

 _"Okay, first of all, I'm not your Sweet Babboo," Linus retorted. "Secondly, I'm here to see your brother. It's an emergency!"_

 _"He's in the living room watching TV," said Sally. "If you want to take me to the movies, though, I am ready and waiting."_

 _"Oh good grief!" Linus groaned. Linus headed for the living room where Charlie Brown was laying in his bean bag watching TV._

 _"Charlie Brown! I'm glad I found you!"_

 _"Oh hey, Linus," greeted Charlie Brown. "What's going on?"_

 _"You got to come with me now!" Linus said with urgency. Charlie Brown complied and went with Linus to wherever he was taking him._

 _They went a little bit of a distance until they were in front of a beautiful house. Charlie Brown knew the house and wondered why they were there._

 _"This is the little red-haired girl's house," Charlie Brown replied. "Why are we here? Did she finally figure out I existed or something?"_

 _"It's not that, Charlie Brown," said Linus. "Just look inside. Trust me on this." And Charlie Brown went ahead and looked in one of the windows._

 _"I don't get it. Where are all of their furniture? It's almost like they… OH NO!"_

 _"I'm sorry, Charlie Brown. But it's true. Heather has moved away. I figured you'd want to hear it from me first before anyone else."_

 _Charlie Brown looked like he was on the verge of tears. "I never got the chance to tell her how I felt, Linus. I know you told me about dancing with her at the Homecoming Dance, but I have no memory of that. All I remember is your crazy sister pulling the ball away from me during the game for her own sick pleasure."_

 _"Don't worry, Charlie Brown. I'm sure she does know that you cared about her."_

 _"I don't know, Linus. But what am I going to do?"_

 _"What about Peppermint Patty and Marcie? They always carried a torch for you."_

 _"You don't know? They've been selected to go to Germany on Foreign Exchange. They will be gone for the whole school year. I guess Marcie would be a good one to date, but Peppermint Patty always seem to force the issue. And while they are good friends, I'm not interested in them like that."_

 _"Fair enough. What about Peggy Jean?"_

 _"Have you forgotten she broke my heart at camp when she told me she had a new boyfriend? She said it like it wasn't a big deal. It was like she forgotten that we were in love. Excuse me, Linus, but I think I need to be alone for a while."_

 _"I understand, Charlie Brown. I'll talk to you later." And Linus left for home._

 _Charlie Brown walked through the neighborhood in an almost catatonic state. At that time Violet and Patty were walking by and decided to start in on him._

 _"Well, well, well!" sneered Violet. "Look who it is, Patty. Our favorite loser, Charlie Brown. You look even more pathetic than usual, Charlie Brown. What happened? Did you finally figure out that you would never amount to anything?" Both girls laughed. Charlie Brown, in a rare instance of anger, lashed out at his tormentors._

 _"I AM IN NO MOOD FOR YOU, VIOLET AND PATTY!" Charlie Brown screamed at the top of his lungs. "FOR ONCE IN YOUR MISERABLE LIVES, WHY DON'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE?! I'M ALREADY DEPRESSED AS IT IS, I DON'T NEED YOU ADDING ON TO IT!" Both girls recoiled in shock. As long as they knew Charlie Brown, he never talked to them like that or even showed half a spine. But he was angry beyond reason at that point and didn't need any more trouble at that time. Lucy just so happened to come in at the wrong time. Charlie Brown took notice._

 _"AND THAT GOES DOUBLE FOR YOU, FUSSBUDGET!" he yelled at a confused Lucy. Then he stormed toward his house and slammed the door._

 _"What just happened?" asked a still-confused Lucy. "What did I do?"_

 _Once in his house, Charlie Brown was fighting back tears. Sally saw her brother go by and got concerned._

 _"Big brother," she began, "what's the matter?"_

 _"She's gone, Sally," said Charlie Brown, now inconsolable. "The little red-haired girl has moved away without notice."_

 _"Oh no!" said a shocked Sally. "I'm so sorry, big brother. Do you need anything?"_

 _"No, Sally," he said though racking sobs. "I just need to be alone right now. But I'll let you know if I do need anything. I promise." And Charlie Brown went into his room and closed the door behind him._

 _ **Present Day**_

The new school year had begun. Charlie Brown and Sally were walking together to the bus stop. They met up with Linus, Lucy, Rerun, Frieda, and Schroeder. Charlie Brown was feeling a little better from finding out Heather had moved away, but was still sad about it. When Linus told Lucy what had happened that day, in a rare sign of compassion for her, she went and consoled Charlie Brown. She also figured he was already miserable enough, he couldn't get any worse than he was then.

"Hey, everybody," Charlie Brown greeted.

"Oh hi, Charlie Brown," said Linus.

"How are you feeling, Charlie Brown?" asked Frieda.

"I'm okay, I guess," said Charlie Brown. "Still sad over the little red-haired girl moving away, but I can't bring her back any more than us actually having a successful season."

"You're finally wising up, Charlie Brown," said Lucy. "There may be hope for you yet."

"Thanks," he said half-heartedly.

"Well if you need to talk, Charlie Brown, I'm available," said Frieda.

"Thanks, Frieda," said Charlie Brown. Just then the bus had arrived and the kids got on. As she took her seat, Frieda looked back at Charlie Brown, who was sitting next to Sally and Linus. She thought to herself, "One day, you will know how I feel, Charlie Brown." And the bus pulled off for school.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: WELCOME TO GERMANY**


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2: ADVENTURES IN GERMANY**

Peppermint Patty and Marcie had made it to Berlin. They had started their Foreign Exchange to Germany. Both girls were excited and they were a world's away from Sparkyville. While the trip to France that they went on with Charlie Brown, Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock was amazing, this was better in their opinion. They grabbed their luggage and went to look for the person they were staying with.

"Can you believe it, Marcie?" said a happy Peppermint Patty. "We're spending the whole school year in Germany! I am going to make the most of it!"

"This is pretty exciting, sir," agreed Marcie. "Who would've thought we end up in Germany to spend our school year?"

"I do want to learn about German culture, though," said Patty. "After the France trip a while ago, I don't want to go through culture shock like I did there."

"That's admirable of you, sir," said Marcie.

"We should look for the person we're staying with. And stop calling me 'sir'!" The girls looked around until they saw a tall blond boy holding up a sign that read "Patricia Reichardt und Marcie Carlin".

"Look, sir," said Marcie upon seeing the boy. "I think that's him."

They walked up to the boy. He said, "Patricia? Marcie?"

"Yeah that's us," Patty replied.

"Guten tag," the boy replied. "Ich heiße Hans."

"What did he say?" asked a confused Patty.

"I think he said his name is Hans," said Marcie.

"Yah," said Hans. "I know little English. I teach you German dialect, too."

"Well Hans, ol' buddy," Patty started, "I look forward to seeing your beautiful country." And Hans, Patty, and Marcie left with Hans's parents to go to where they were staying for the year.

As they rode through Berlin, they saw where the Berlin Wall once stood when the country was split up and East Germany was part of the Soviet Union. They saw kids their age playing soccer in the street. And they saw vendors selling bratwursts and refreshments. The girls were excited to see what will happen.

They arrived at Hans's house. It looked pretty rustic. Marcie asked Hans, "Does your family have Wi-Fi to hook up to the internet?"

"Yah, wir tun," Hans responded. "You can hook up computer to internet."

"Why did you ask that, Marcie?" asked Patty.

"So we can hook up to web chat, sir," said Marcie. "I figured we keep in contact with Charles while we're over here."

"Good thinking, Marcie," said Patty. "Ol' Chuck will be jealous that he's not here with us! I'm sure he is missing us, though, and it would be nice to talk to him."

"That's why I brought my laptop, sir," Marcie replied. "It already has a camera on it and Charles does have a web chat account. I also bought an outlet converter set, in case our plugs don't work with the German outlets here."

"You're right on top of things, Marcie. Let's get things set up." And the girls went to put their things away and settle in. They would talk to Charlie Brown once things were settled.

 **NEXT CHAPTER: THE NEW GIRL FROM DETROIT**


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3: MEET MARGAUX HOLT**

At Birchwood School in a classroom, a tall, lanky girl stood at the front of the class. She was new there as she had moved from Detroit, Michigan to Sparkyville. Her mother used to live in Sparkyville before moving to Detroit sometime later, but came back because it was getting bad in their neighborhood, as well as being closer to family. The girl began to introduce herself to the class.

"Hello. My name is Margaux Holt. I am originally from Detroit, Michigan, though my mother is originally from here in Sparkyville. My grandparents live here, but this is my first time being here."

"Hello, Margaux," said the class. The teacher told her to go ahead and take her seat, which she did. Margaux didn't know what to expect from this school so she was a little nervous.

Later, Margaux walked the halls of the school when she noticed Charlie Brown and Linus talking to each other.

"Linus, I can't believe the little red-haired girl moved away," said Charlie Brown, sadly. "I never got the chance to tell her how I felt about her."

"Don't worry, Charlie Brown," said Linus. "I'm sure there's someone for you out there. Anyway, how's Peppermint Patty and Marcie doing in Germany?"

"They're doing fine," Charlie Brown replied. "They seem to be enjoying themselves on that Foreign Exchange they volunteered for."

As the boys walked away, Margaux took notice to Frieda, who was watching from a distance. Frieda sighed and said, "There is someone who likes you, Charlie Brown." And she walked to her class.

"Almost like a soap opera," said Margaux, and she went on her way to her locker.

Later that day, Charlie Brown was at home doing some homework. He was trying to keep his mind off of the little red-haired girl and do his work in relative peace. He wasn't going to get it, though, as Snoopy came in with supper dish in hand. Charlie Brown couldn't believe how greedy Snoopy was. He knew if he was going to get some peace and quiet, he would have to placate his dog.

"All right, Snoopy," he sighed. "If it'll get you off my back for a while, I'll fix you a supper that's bigger than you usually get. Don't get used to getting fed like this on a regular basis, though. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Agreed?"

Snoopy nodded and went happily with his owner to get his food. After feeding Snoopy, Charlie Brown went back to his homework. But then Sally came in.

"Hey big brother," she said. "Doing homework, huh?"

"Trying to," he said, obviously annoyed.

"Do you think you can help me with mine when you get a chance?" Sally asked.

"Translation: Can I DO your homework, while you go off and watch TV, right?" Charlie Brown retorted. "When I'm done with my homework, I will help you, BUT you WILL be doing the work yourself; not having me do it for you!"

"What fun is that?" said Sally.

"No fun, whatsoever!" said Charlie Brown. "Which is the point. Now I need to get my work done, if you please?"

And Sally left Charlie Brown to do his homework. As hard as he tried, he couldn't get the little red-haired girl off his mind. He wondered where she moved to and if she missed him.

"She's not thinking of me," he thought to himself. "She never knew I existed to begin with, so why would she even miss me? I miss her, though. God? Is there anyone out there for me?"

 **NEXT CHAPTER: FRIEDA'S CONFESSION**


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4: CANDY, PUMPKINS, AND UNREQUIETED LOVE**

Sometime at Violet's house, she had Lucy, Patty, and Frieda over to talk about hosting a Halloween party. They were going over who to invite and not to invite. Violet knew who she wanted on the list.

"Well I went over the list of people," said Violet. "And I think everyone, with ONE exception, will be coming over for our big Halloween bash. Shermy, of course, will be there. Schroeder will be invited, as well."

"Yes!" said a happy Lucy.

"Oh, can I invite my new friend?" asked Patty.

"Who is that?"

"Some kid who played on Peppermint Patty's team," Patty replied. "His name is Thibault."

"I heard of that kid," said Lucy. "Are you sure you want HIM to come around? He doesn't have the best reputation."

"Well, as long as he doesn't start trouble at my party, I guess he can come," said Violet. "And, reluctantly, I will allow Pig Pen to be there as well."

"That's fine, but he will have to stay downwind from everyone else," Patty remarked.

"Amen," said Lucy and Frieda, in unison.

"I would invite your brother, Lucy," Violet continued, "but we all know what he's doing on Halloween. It involves the initials G and P!"

"Yeah, Linus keeps saying that the Great Pumpkin will show up, but never does," sighed Lucy. "I just wonder when he will finally have enough of this stupid habit of his."

"And, I'm sure you all know who's NOT invited," said Violet, with a sneer.

"A certain blockhead with a round head who shall remain nameless," said Lucy.

"You got it, Lucy!" said Violet.

"Now how did I know you would go out of your way to exclude Charlie Brown?" said Frieda, getting annoyed. "What has he done to you to deserve this kind of abuse that he gets?"

"Nothing, Frieda," said Patty.

"His mere existence is enough for exclusion," added Lucy. "Not to mention that he's too wishy-washy, but even that's small potatoes in his case to why he's not invited."

"The main reason is because he's a spineless wimp," said Violet. "You see, I invite a filthy walking cesspool of a kid like Pig Pen over Charlie Brown mainly because Pig Pen, at least, has a backbone. He can dish it out as much as we deliver it to him. He may be dirty and dusty, but I actually have a shred of respect for him to actually fight back. And aside from that blowup he had last month, Charlie Brown doesn't put up a fight, at all. He's weak, he's a loser, and if he died tomorrow, I wouldn't shed a tear over him."

Frieda was beyond angry at that point and was ready to knock that smug look off of Violet's face for that last remark, but she backed off realizing it wasn't worth the trouble. Instead she got up and said, "I gotta get going. My mother said she needed me home early."

"You want me to walk with you?" asked Lucy.

"No, you stay, Lucy," said Frieda. "I'll be okay." And Frieda left. She was so angry about Violet's remarks about Charlie Brown. She knew she didn't like him, but she never knew how much venom she had for one innocent boy.

"Charlie Brown doesn't deserve the abuse Violet and the others heap on him," Frieda said to herself. "He's a nice boy. Any girl would be lucky to have him as a boyfriend. It's no wonder he's so insecure. With friends like them, who needs enemies?"

Not too long after, she found herself at the new girl Margaux's house. Margaux was sitting outside, looking sad. Frieda looked up and saw her.

"Oh, hello," she greeted.

"Hi," said Margaux.

"You just joined our school, didn't you?" Frieda asked.

"Yeah, I did."

"How do you like it so far?"

"I hate it there. Some little witch of a girl made fun of me because I came from Detroit and because I never knew…"

"Go on…"

"…I never knew my father."

"Was this girl named Violet by chance?"

"Yeah, you know who she is?"

"I just came from her house. She kind of ticked me off, too. You see, she seems to have a visceral hatred for a boy I like."

"Does this boy have a round head?"

"You know who I'm talking about?!"

"Before I dealt with that witch Violet, I saw you looking at him from afar."

"I am friends with him, but what he doesn't know is that… well…"

"You're in love with him. Right?"

"Yes! No! I don't know…"

"It's so obvious, uh…"

"Frieda."

"Oh. My name's Margaux, by the way. If you love him so much, tell him. Don't blurt it out. Maybe invite him out to dinner or a movie or something."

"Good idea."

"Anyway, what did the little prissy witch have to say about your guy?"

"Well she said some vicious things, even for her, about him. She even went on to say she wouldn't care if he dropped dead."

"I hate that girl so much. How can you be friends with someone so evil?"

"I'm trying to figure that one out myself. All I know is that I may need to find some other girls to hang out with."

"I can support that."

"Well, thanks for listening to me, Margaux."

"No problem, Frieda. And good luck with landing that boy."

"Thank you. And don't let Violet get to you. And I'll try to do the same. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Okay. I'll see you at school."

"Goodnight." And Margaux went inside. Before she went to bed, she pulled out a number and dialed it. The person on the other end answered.

"Hello? Cobra? This is Margaux. We met earlier today. So when do you want to meet to talk about my initiation into the Serpent Sisters?"

 **NEXT CHAPTER: I'LL HAVE A BLUE CHRISTMAS**


	6. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5: CHRISTMAS EVE AT THE BROWNS**

Around Christmas time the Browns were at home getting ready for the next day. Violet was having a Christmas party, and Charlie Brown was again left off the list of invites. Linus was invited, but he didn't go in support of Charlie Brown. Instead, he came over to help Charlie Brown with wrapping gifts and writing cards. All others were at the party, though. Charlie Brown, at that point, gave up on trying to win Violet's approval and get into her inner circle. He figured there was no good in her, anyway. He just wished she'd stop rubbing it in his face.

A little while later, they had wrapped the last gift. That's when they heard a knock at the door.

"I wonder who is coming over at this hour?" wondered Charlie Brown. He went to answer it, surprised to see Frieda standing at the door.

"Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown," she greeted.

"Same to you, Frieda," Charlie Brown replied. "But I thought you'd be at Violet's party."

"I was," Frieda remarked, "but it wasn't that great. So I left. Was wondering what you guys were up to?"

"Well we just finished wrapping presents," said Linus. "But we were about to have some hot cocoa."

"You can join us if you want," offered Charlie Brown.

"I'd like that," said Frieda with a smile. And she took off her coat and sat by the fireplace with Charlie Brown, Linus, and Sally. Snoopy also joined them and had a big mug of hot cocoa with marshmallows piled high.

"You got enough marshmallows there, Snoopy?" asked Frieda. Snoopy then got up and left the room for a second. He came back with another package of marshmallows and added them to the others in his mug.

"Oh good grief!" sighed Charlie Brown. At that time, the kids heard another knock at the door. Charlie Brown went to answer it again. He was even more surprised to see it was Violet and Patty.

"Violet. Patty," he responded. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"We just wanted you to know that you missed a great Christmas party," said Violet. "Oh yeah. That's right. You weren't on the list of invites. I almost forgot for a moment." The two snobby girls snickered.

"You came over to my house just to remind me how much you hate me?" asked Charlie Brown. "You know, Violet, there was a time where you not inviting me to one of your parties and you belittling me and saying I'm a failure would've hurt me. But now, I'm past that. Anything you say can't faze me anymore. You see, the girl I cared about more than anything in the world had moved away and I don't know where she lives at. Peppermint Patty and Marcie are halfway around the globe right now. And, maybe aside from them, I know nobody will ever love me. Heck, Linus's sister reminds me of that, constantly. I know I can't do anything right. When you tell me these things on a daily basis, you're actually telling me something I already know. But I accepted it. And for once, I'm embracing the failure. So whatever you two miserable girls have to say to me about myself, it doesn't faze me anymore. You can't hurt me, because I dealt with the largest pain anyone could deal with. So go ahead. Say I'm a loser, say I have no backbone, don't invite me to parties, and say I will never amount to anything. But know this; I am now numb to your insults. If there's nothing else you'd like to say, please leave my house because just like me and your party, I didn't invite you to come over to my house, either. Oh, and Merry Christmas."

And Charlie Brown closed the door on the two girls, who stood in shock over what just transpired. For once they were at a loss for words. As they walked down the sidewalk, Patty asked, "What just happened?"

"Something I feared for a long time, Patty," said a shell-shocked Violet. "Charlie Brown has built up an immunity to our insults. We've put him down so much that he feels nothing anymore."

"You mean we've finally broke Charlie Brown?"

"No, but we can't hurt him anymore. At least not like how we've been doing it." And the girls headed for home.

Back inside, Linus, Sally, and Frieda stood in shock at what just happened. "That was awesome, Charlie Brown!" said a happy Linus. "You finally put those girls in their place."

"Maybe, Linus," Charlie Brown replied, "but I meant what I said. I've given up on trying to find love. If it happens, it happens, but I'm not seeking it out. Not anymore."

None of the other noticed Frieda looking down and on the verge of tears. She composed herself and said, "Well I better get back home before it gets too late, myself. See you guys later. And Merry Christmas, again."

"See ya, Frieda," said Charlie Brown. "I appreciate your coming over. You're a good friend."

Frieda smiled. "Thank you, Charlie Brown." And she left the house. When she was a good distance away from the Brown household, she broke down in tears.

"Oh Charlie Brown," she wept. "Please don't give up on love. I do love you. And somehow, I will show you that."

 **NEXT CHAPTER: THE VALENTINE**


	7. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6: MOMENT OF TRUTH**

 _ **Valentine's Day**_

Valentine's Day had arrived, and all of the kids were bringing valentines for the ones they loved or cared about. All except Charlie Brown, who was at home with the flu. And he was glad he didn't have to go to school that particular day, as it was the worse of the holidays, in his opinion. For him it was a reminder of how alone he was. And with him being sick, it finally gave him a break from Valentine's Day.

Frieda walked up to Linus, who was at his locker getting some books out. She asked him, "Hey Linus, where's Charlie Brown?"

"He's at home sick with the flu," Linus responded. "He asked me to bring home any homework we may have."

"Oh dear," said Frieda. "I hope he gets better."

"He should with plenty of rest," said Linus. And he went to class. Frieda looked around to make sure no one else was around; namely Lucy or Violet. She pulled out an envelope with a heart on it and taped it to Charlie Brown's locker. Then she went to class.

Sometime after school, Linus went back to his locker and Charlie Brown's locker to get both of their books. That's when he saw the valentine Frieda left. But it didn't have her name on it, so he didn't know she was the one who left it.

"How about that?" said Linus to himself with a smile. "Charlie Brown finally got one! And it's not a used valentine, either! Well I better grab this before someone else like Lucy sees it and destroys it before he can see it." And Linus took the valentine off his locker and placed it in his bag. Violet, who happen to be walking by, saw Linus take the valentine off Charlie Brown's locker.

"No way!" she said to herself. "Charlie Brown ACTUALLY got a valentine?! I wonder who the girl who likes him is." And she went about her business. She decided not to tell Lucy about it, either. Even though she didn't much like Charlie Brown, Violet didn't want him to fail, either. Lucy, on the other hand, thrived on Charlie Brown failing. So Violet kept it to herself for now.

Frieda walked by and she also saw Linus grab the valentine she left. "Great!" she said to herself. "I'm glad Linus was the one who grabbed it! Now I know for sure Charlie Brown will get it!" And she watched as Linus went out the door. She waited and went behind him. She knew that come Saturday that week, Charlie Brown would find out how she felt about him.

 **TO SEE HOW THIS STORY PANS OUT, CHECK OUT THE FANFIC "IT'S NEW LOVE, CHARLIE BROWN", WHICH SERVED AS THE PILOT TO** _ **PEANUTS: THE NEXT CHAPTER**_ **. I WILL SEE YOU FOR SEASON 2!**


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